X Factor 2014 Week 5 Song Choice Discussion Thread

Posted by Daniel

Given that the previous post had a lengthy comments thread already, we thought we’d start a new one now that the Michael Jackson / Queen song choices have been revealed. Do keep the discussion going below. Tomorrow’s songs are as follows:
Ben Haenow – Man In The Mirror
Paul Akister – Don’t Stop Me Now
Stevi Ritchie – Bohemian Rhapsody
Andrea Faustini – Somebody To Love
Lauren Platt – I’ll Be There
Stereo Kicks – You Are Not Alone
Only The Young – Blame It On The Boogie
Fleur East – Will You Be There
Jay James – The Show Must Go On

58 comments to X Factor 2014 Week 5 Song Choice Discussion Thread

Ben, Andrea and Lauren all appear to have pretty safe choices that should play to their strengths.

TPTB certainly seem to be playing up Only The Young as the fun, party act with that song choice, so if OTY do a good job I can see plenty of comments around them finding their niche, working out who they are as an act, and so on.

I think Stevi doing Bohemian Rhapsody could be fun – it is the absurd act doing a pretty absurd song. I also think his theatre background and range should ensure he does a reasonable job.

Paul has got a really tough song, it is not easy to pull off. However, if this is TPTB’s attempt to get rid of him it could backfire, as Paul seems to be one of the few acts who could potentially make this work. So, they will probably give me a terrible dance routine, or unsympathetic staging, to make sure.

Stereo Kicks singing You Are Not Alone sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Again, it isn’t the easiest song, and considering they’ve struggled to harmonise at all I can imagine this falling flat, in every sense of the word.

Fleur and Jay are the real question marks for me. I could see both songs falling flat if the arrangement and general presentation isn’t right.

So it’s Paul who is being thrown under the Don’t Stop Me Now bus, then. Not a complete surprise, admittedly.

Stevie and Bohemian Rhapsody? I can’t compute that one as of yet.

Only the Young and Blame It on the Boogie seem to go well together but You Are Not Alone for Stereo Kicks? It doesn’t have an aiding a bounce feel about it.

Andrea on paper has a good number but Lauren is getting stuck with slower songs now. Man in the Mirror should be enough for Ben but The Show Must Go On is a big song for Jay to get his voice around.

Will You Be There has potential choral support but I’m not sure if it really suits Fleur’s voice. It could be a ‘moment’ after a number of uptempo performances.

The target seems well and truly painted on Paul’s back but beyond that I’m not sure. I would personally say Fleur is being set up for a moment while Andrea, Ben and Only the Young have numbers which will suit their approach though people might be getting tired of Lauren’s repetitiveness. Jay’s on a knife edge and will depend on staging more than the others I’ve mentioned.

It’s as though they’ve given up on Stereo Kicks; there are so many ‘anthems’ they could have been handed to make the most of their number and they’ve all been ignored. And I’m not sure whether Stevie is being set up as a joke act or being pushed into the bottom two to then be saved as a shock result with his choice.

To me, it looks like SK, Stevi, Paul and Jay are most likely to be in trouble…

I expect Paul’s VT to remind us about the negative Simon comments etc… last week… and & expect they will do everything they can to de-ramp in staging, lighting etc…

Jay will either do the original version of TSMGO… and sound all nasal… or do an EDM/drum and bass version and annoy Queen purists… either option may see him in the B2…

SK… maybe TPTB have given up on them… or trying to redeem with full on choirs etc… hard to tell now…

Stevi… giving him such an iconic song… that many feel so passionately about may be a ploy to get him in the B2… to then save against a ‘legitimate’ singer like Paul…

Andrea, Lauren, OTY & Ben all look like they’ve got songs that play to their strengths…

Fleur could have a moment… or it could be rather bland and dull… she will need the full on choir to make it work… but unlike Melanie Amaro (as per Heisenberg’s link above)… Fleur doesn’t have a big voice… so it could fail miserably… and end up sounding like Lola doing most of her performances… though I suspect they are setting her up to succeed and have a ‘break out performance’…

Jennifer Hudson did a soulful gospel tinged version of Will You Be There which is quite well known in the States (probably where Simon got the idea from). If Fleur gets a similar arrangement and can pull it off, it could be very helpful in demonstrating that she’s a singer (in the X-Factor sense) as well as an entertainer. Based on the song choices I would say that TPTB have made their choice that they want Ben and not Jay in the final. Simon has said more than once that Man in the Mirror is his favourite Michael Jackson song and there’s more potential for something to go wrong with The Show Must Go On.

Somebody mentioned that a likely scenario this week may be Stevi being bottom two and saved over Paul for a bit of controversy. I can see that happening this week – Bohemian Rapsody would be perfect for the pimp slot for Stevi but he had that last week – would they give it him again? I think he could be in trouble. It will be a hilarious performance but not sure whether it will work.

Not sure about Jay struggling. if they mess with it too much he could be in danger but his performances up to live shows show that he can do a straight up ballad – I think that’s what we might end up with, which will give him the opportunity to do well (again).

Fleur could go either way – although there is a stream of other performances that show this song can go down well from other versions of the show.

A little worried for Lauren – although she’s back on the “disney” pre-teen sort of song which is very comfortable for her. I’d echo that Paul is toast.

Mama, just killed a man,
Put a gun against his head,
Pulled my trigger now he’s dead.

Dark words for the novelty joke act, it’ll be like Dick n Dom starring in The Killing.

Fleur will get the halo light and gospel choir treatment for her song, Ben should be strong on his.

Only The Young may struggle. Blame It on the Boogie has tough verses and they’ve been ropey on solo parts before.

Stereo Kicks could go either way. It seems a very personal song for a group of eight to sing. However I can it being Let It Be the second, solos in the spotlights and rousing harmonic chorues (with large backing tracks).

Great lyrics for Paul to say up yours Simon in response to last weeks criticism.

Tonight I’m gonna have myself a real good time
I feel alive and the world I’ll turn it inside out – yeah
And floating around in ecstasy
So don’t stop me now don’t stop me
‘Cause I’m having a good time having a good time.

Question is
1, Does Paul have the ability to look like he is having a good time ?
2, Does Paul look like a sex machine ready to reload
Like an atom bomb about to Oh oh oh oh oh explode ?

The general consensus on here is that Fleur will probably have a choir on stage with her. But have choirs been known to help the audience vote for an act?

Marcus had a choir in his week 7 performance of ‘Higher and Higher’ – it was unanimously praised by the judges but he just escaped the bottom two that week – despite having the pimp slot and polling much higher in previous weeks. I can’t think of any other choir performances to compare.

I don’t think we’ll ever have a stat on how helpful gospel choirs are with voting as there are too many variables at play.

I view it that gospel choirs suggest purity and positiveness in a way that 8 cheerleaders with legs open don’t or a blood drawing vampire. The singer tends to be the centre of attention when gospel is on the go.

They also tend to be background artists rather than distracting dancers and they give an uplifting sound quality to the performance.

Would a gospel choir turn Stevi into a series winner no? But are they helpful? I believe yes

Lauren – Leona and Alexandra both sung I’ll Be There, so I think this’ll be Lauren’s pimp slot week. Definitely going to help her.
Andrea – Very good song choice for him; could easily see him pulling it off. Should easily be safe, potentially a bit of a comeback week?
Paul – Ouch. Not really his style and horribly overplayed. If Simon did say it was one of his least favourite songs, it doesn’t look promising. Looks like he’s being targeted.
Stereo Kicks – It’s just the same old from them. It doesn’t have the interesting vibe of Let It Be/Hey Jude, its just karaoke. Maybe producers are giving up?
OTY – Urgh, not a great song choice as its cheesy as hell, but that made them safe in Weeks 1 and 2. Don’t see them avoiding the comedown, unless Paul and an Over are targeted.
Ben – Safe choice in general, can see him pulling it off. Should be safe.
Fleur – Very interesting song choice! I remember Melanie Amaro singing this at Judge’s Houses in the US and it was fantastic. Not sure Fleur is quite as good vocally though and it is kinda less well known than most of the others. If she performs it well, it could be really, really good.
Jay – zzzzzzzzzzz, really boring song choice and I think if any of the Overs are getting targeted, its him. Can’t see him doing anything with it.
Stevi – They definitely want him to stay another week. I expect another late slot and more comments done to keep him in.

Overall, think that two of Paul, Jay, OTY and Stereo Kicks will be in the B2. An all Group B2 wouldn’t surprise me.

Great choices for Ben, Aandrea, OTY. Actually looking forward to all those performances.

JJ’s going to emote again. :-s

It could go either way with SK. Nice verses for the better voices to sing and simple harmonies for the choruses, maybe drop in a bit of a capella. It should be a shoo-in for a great performance but I just don’t think they’re good enough to make much of it.

Paul can sing Don’t Stop Me Now but I doubt he can perform it. Poisoned chalice indeed and imo will create the perfect opportunity for “doesn’t connect”, “doesn’t know how to have fun” criticism. If they wanted him to win do well they’d have given him Rock With You.

I’m not expecting great things from Lauren, but it will be a solid performance. The song should be easily within her compass and it’s a slow pace with a tender lyric that can easily be delivered with her standing still and looking holy.

Stevi’s in it for the laughs and should be safe again this week.

Don’t recognise Fleur’s song from the title. I’ll listen to it on YouTube later.

Ben will give Man in the Mirror a gravelly, introspective twist which will suit the song and create a get a lot of positive audience reaction.

Done right this can be a big moment for Ben.

I worry for JJ. I expect him to run the full gamut emotion, all the way from A to B. He’ll quiver and gurgle, his nostrils will flare, he’ll close his eyes and gesticulate and stand on one leg like a flamingo. It’ll be awesome.

I’m actually starting to like him but I think the difference between him and Ben is that JJ shows his feelings while Ben shares his feelings.

J’s performances can seem more like artifice, as if he wants to be admired while Ben seems like he’s part of a communal experience. That makes Ben a much more satisfying performer for a crowd. You go to a gig to be a part of something.

shockingly he (Jay) has grown on me too…
I think you’ve summed him up quite well in that last comment… I wonder if that’s a reason he’s never quite made it before… the coming across as trying a bit too hard…
rather than just being in the moment… like Ben…
it’s probably why I think he can seem a bit disingenuous… as it all seems like an act… when he’s probably quite a decent bloke…

I wonder who will get the Week 5 pimp slot and whether it will show any significance. Alexandra Burke, Joe McElderry, One Direction and Little Mix all had the honour of closing the fifth live show so while it looks like a blessing, the past two years have seen Chris Maloney and Sam Callahan end the show.

There is also the long-running “Week 5 shock exit” but I don’t think that’s had much of a role recently despite the days of Maria Lawson, Laura White and Lucie Jones.

I think it’s dangerous to be seduced by the power of the pimp slot when voting opens at the start of the show. A strong early performance may well hoover up a lot of votes making voters much more circumspect and thrifty with votes as the show progresses. A poor or mefiocre effort or a nuking in the latter half is proba ly a thing to watch out for.

I agree, the combination of five free votes and voting opening at the start of the show definitely changes things. I do think people will be much more likely to chuck a couple of free votes at good performances while keeping the majority for their favourite, and that could benefit early acts at the expense of those on later.

I hope Jay gets a shout out for being nasal again. If any song will do it for him it will be this one. I’ve just listened to the Fleur song and I have to say I’ve never heard it before in my life. Admittedly I’m not the worlds biggest MJ fan, but surely there were better songs from both artists for her? It’s very dull. I’m keeping my eyes on both of them.

1D are on this week, with a pre-recorded performance? I wonder if anybody will be blessed with the 1D vt this week.

I think Stereo Kicks have a fighting chance this week if it’s just a single elimination. They came second to last in the voting last week, so only need to bounce up one spot to escape the danger zone, which should be doable.

OTY and Paul most in danger this week I feel. Jay has the Welsh vote sewn up and a sympathetic VT to coincide with Remembrance Sunday could well see him safe.

Can Simon still have a completely intact group after this weekend? It looks likely enough, although Fleur may be the most likely to succumb to the shock week 5 curse, if song choice is a factor..

Agree with you EM re the military mention for JJ. I did wonder if they had changed the theme from disco for this week because it wasn’t suitable enough for Remembrance weekend (Strictly have got a forces and factory/land girls number lined up) so was interested to see what song they would give JJ, but I can’t really see anything in the lyrics (or other song choices for that matter) that could be tied in, so the opportunity is in the VT.

Surely it would have made more sense to have Big Band lined up for this weekend as it’s more that era? Then again, they always like to do something slightly different when Strictly goes to Blackpool so it doesn’t look like same old, same old.

Exactly, no one gives a damn. In hindsight they should have got rid of Stereo Kicks, focused their attention on Only the Young who at least have an audience out there, and keep Chloe who offered something different to the show.

I really don’t get what they’re playing at with Stereo Kicks. For a supposed alpha group they haven’t been given all of the assistance they have in their arsenal (such as allowing viewers to get to know the group in the VTs).

OT It’s funny how Cowell has this reputation as pop’s great impressario when with the exceptions of Leona Lewis and 1D all the acts found through x factor have only had limited success. JLS were big here but in the global marketplace did they do anything more than scratch the surface? And on the evidence of SK, 1D’s success was pretty much based on a punt – here’s four goodlooking lads wot can sing, let’s make a group and see what happens – rather than any judgment or informed decision-making. He marketed them but they might as well have been tubs of margerine.

And I know I’ve said it before but I do think Harry’s liaison with the fragrant Ms Flack was a godsend. It kept them in the news for ages after the show because it became a “watercooler” conversation.

Given the amount of money he has fo thtow at acts and the media reach and influence he has, his strike rate doesn’t seem all that to me.

I wonder how the voting is going so far this year. Giving Andrea a suitable song this week either shows that he is running away with the vote and cannot be caught or he isn’t topping the vote recently? Stevi’s treatment tonight will suggest how well he did in the vote last week after the pimp slot performance.

Jessica I completely agree with your reasoning. Not sure that the last slot is so valuable as it used to be – although it does come with the perception that they’re are topping the bill, save the best till last etc.

Stats show trap two is the kiss of depth this season, second on has always been in the bottom 2/3 this series bar week one (where third wasn’t good)

I guess you have a point there actually although I still think it’s a beneficial slot. I’m sure many people don’t vote until they’ve seen all of the contestants despite the voting being open at the start.

Terrible song choice for Paul, presumably chosen so Simon can point out that he’s singing ‘I’m having such a good time’ while looking miserable.

If Fleur does get a loud choir it might remind people of Mel B’s ‘cheat’ comments, especially as I’m not sure how well she’ll do on a ballad.

Andrea’s song is a brilliant choice and he should have a great week, Ben’s is good, Lauren’s will I suspect further bore people already bored by her (I adore her but I see a lot of people don’t) and I’m not sure it will help her pick up new support.

Only the Young might escape the bottom two with a bounce and a fun song, though I suspect they’ll come across as dated and too tweenie. Stevi will murder Bohemian Rhapsody and be safe, and Jay will sing through his nose as always and be safe.

I think Stereo Kicks will for sure be in the bottom two. I don’t know who I think will be there with them though; I suspect Only the Young, or Paul if the targeting of him is successful. If it is the two bands I really don’t know which one they’d save, I suppose SK with a massive revamp for next week.

There’s not much worth noting as far as I can see – I’m not as well equipped on twitter as many others are though.

Paul’s staging (or lack of) might hint toward what tabitha mentioned regarding Simon’s comments. Having a good time on a darkened stage wearing all black? Looks more like he’s at a funeral. They wouldn’t slow ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ down, would they?!

the songs are now available to preview on UK iTunes… my initial thoughts…

OTY – Blame it on the Boogie… fun, very Glee meets HSM…
Stereo Kicks – You are not alone… very faithful to the original… so a bit dull & dated… very Westlife circa 2002…
Lauren – I’ll be there… similar to Leona and Alex versions… capable, nice tone…
Paul – Don’t stop me now… very frenetic drum beat in the backing track… drowning out the capable vocals… I smell B2…
Andrea – Somebody to Love… very rousing and powerful… his accent seems really strong…
Fleur – Will you be there… vocals very clear and distinctive… a choir started to come in… quite soulful…
Ben – Man in the mirror… soulful and gravelly vocals… soundd like he was about to take it to church…
Jay – The show must go on… vocals a bit nasal and thin on the big notes… typical Jay angst coming through… though I find it quite a dull song…
Stevi – Bohemian Rhapsody… like a comedian doing a capable Freddie impersonation… mediocre karaoke… wonder what the visuals are like?

I would say… depending on staging, VT, judges comments etc… Paul, Jay, Stevi and SK seem most likely to be in trouble…